Newsletter

Yarbrough wants to lead SSU, a historically black institution

Savannah Morning News

Dr. Earl G. Yarbrough Sr.

Savannah Morning News

Earl G. Yarbrough, full professor and former provost and vice president for academic and student affairs at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va., is one of three finalists under consideration to be the next president of Savannah State University.

Being a college president is something Yarbrough said he has always wanted to do.

"For a long time I have wanted to be the president of an HBCU," Yarbrough said, referring to SSU being among America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities. "The kids who come to HBCUs often need dedication, time and nurturing and working with them is rewarding."

It's his way of giving back.

"I'm a first-generation college student. Someone encouraged me to go and I found professors who supported me along the way," he said.

The state Board of Regents is scheduled to select a president for Savannah State following a closed door meeting this morning.

Yarbrough said he has taught and mentored many first-generation college students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and knows the impact the experience has on their lives.

"I've seen it happen over and over. They may not have had the study habits," he said. "But through involvement on campus, they go on to do fantastic things."

Yarbrough has three grown children. His wife, Patricia, also works at Virginia State as an administrator.

Officials at Knoxville College, a private historically black college in Tennessee, wanted Yarbrough to help revive their financially strapped campus. It lost its accreditation in 1997.

Last year, he was awarded a contract to serve as Knoxville College's president and was due to start work this month. But, according to interim president Robert Harvey, the contract was contingent upon Knoxville's ability to guarantee a funding package for Yarbrough and his senior administrators.

"It hasn't worked out," Yarbrough said. "I really enjoyed the place. But because I'm not independently wealthy, I could not move forward with that. That's done. It's no longer an option."

Yarbrough said he has always had good experiences working at HBCUs. There was a time in 2000, however, that the experience might have been a little uncomfortable.

Angry over plans to merge departments and limit terms for department heads, Virginia State's Faculty Council passed votes of no confidence in Yarbrough and the university's president. They claimed their leaders were micro-managers and called for the entire board of visitors to resign.

But James Hunter, vice provost for academic affairs at Virginia State who worked closely with Yarbrough during that time, said he is easy to work with and would make a great president.

"You have to be able to communicate and talk to everyone, and he has those skills," Hunter said. "Even when you don't agree with his decisions, he will allow you to express yourself. And he holds no grudges."